Prefabricated surfaces



Aug. 4, 1959 A. J. FITZGERALD 2,397,620

' PREFABRICATED SURFACES Original Filed Aug. 9, 1950 INVENTOR ALBERT J.FITZGERALD, BY M HIS ATTORNEY.

United States Patent "ice 2,897,620 PREFABRICATED SURFACES Albert J.Fitzgerald, Syracuse, N.Y., assiguor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Original application August 9, 1950, Serial No.178,515,

new Patent No. 2,742,116, dated April 17, 1956. Divided and thisapplication September 26, 1955, Serial No. 536,552

2 Claims. (Cl. 4134) This application is a divisional application ofapplication Serial No. 178,515, filed August 9, 1950, issued April 17,1956, as US. Patent No. 2,742,116, and assigned to the same assignee asthe present application.

This invention relates to prefabricated surfaces, and walls, andparticularly to surfaces and walls intended for use where appearance isan important consideration.

An object of my invention is to provide a prefabricated wall, orsurface, which may be made up of easily formed, or easily procurableparts of standard size and shape.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a surface made upof parts which may be standard to surfaces of widely differentdimensions.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a surface having thecharacteristic that its dominant color may be changed by the readyinsertion or removal of parts.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

My invention itself, however, may best be understood by reference to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which Fig. l is a partly exploded view of a form of the inventionusing a zig-zag member for securing the elements together; Fig. 2 is arear view of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 arerespectively front and rear views of a further modification of theinvention.

Prefabricated surfaces incorporating my invention may be applied to manyapplications, such as the sidewalls of pullman cars, trucks, vehicles,diiferent articles of household furnishings such as, for example, tablelamps, end tables, cabinets of various sorts, and to many otherapplications.

It may be desirable, in some applications, to utilize a surface in whicha dominant color may be changed from season to season, or even from dayto day, and, as will presently be seen, the surface constructed inaccord with my invention readily lends itself to such application.

Fig. 1 shows the simple construction embodied in this invention made upof channel members 14 and 15 in which the sidewalls are straight butinter-fit by overlap-- ping each other in the manner shown. A zig-zagmember 16 of resilient material such as stainless steel is providedwhich may be fitted into channel 15 to hold the sidewalls of adjacentchannel members 14 firmly against the inner surface of the channels 15.

As thus constructed it will be seen that the surface is made up of partshaving only three different shapes, all of which preferably may be ofsome suitable sheet metal such as brass, or stainless steel readilyformed into the desired shapes. Of course, a suitable plastic, glass,rubber, or other materials, may be used in the parts 14, 15 and 16.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of a surface made up in this way showing themember 16 in channels 15. The appearance illustrated in Fig. 1 may insome situations be desirable, in which case, the surface thereillustrated may be the front of the structure.

Fig. 3 shows a surface made up in exactly the same way 2,897,620Patented Aug. 4, 1959 but in which the sidewalls of the two channels aredefiected inward toward each other at a desired angle better to hold thespring member 16 in place and better to secure the different memberstogether. If desired, a suitable decorative fabric 17, which may be ofsilk or other suitable material, may be inserted between the walls ofthe channel members and stretched across the bottom of the channel 14 toadd a desired color, or other pleasing effect to the surface produced.Of course, any of the members 14 and 15 may be enameled or otherwisegiven a suitable color. The bottom of channel members 14 may beperforated as shown at 18 in Fig. 4 to permit passage of sound, as wherethe grill is used in front of the loudspeaker in a radio cabinet. Thefabric may show through these holes.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of a surface made up in accordance with Fig. 3showing the member 16 in place and showing the bottom of the channel 14removed in part to show the fabric 17 stretched across its inner surfaceand extending between the sidewalls of the different channels.

It will be observed that, in all of the forms of the inventionillustrated, all of the parts employed may be easily formed and usuallyare readily procurable in desired lengths and sizes. Thus panels ofdesired size may be readily made up. Such panels offer highly desirableversatility as to the appearance produced and may be highly useful in,and about, stores, flower shops, and other areas where appearance andcolor of surroundings are important.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention manymodifications may be made and I contemplate by the appended claims tocover all such modifications as may come within the true spirit andscope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A decorative panel comprising alternate first and second sets oflongitudinally extending channel members each including a bottom portionand integral planar side portions outstanding from the opposite sideedges of the bottom portion, the side portions of adjacent channelmembers being interlocked in mutually overlapping relation and formingthereby the sole means of connection of said channel members, the bottomportions of each of one set of channel members being adapted to beperforated, the overlapping portions of the channel side portions beingadapted to clamp therebetween' marginal portions of sheet ornamentalmaterial backing the bottom portions of said one set of channel membersand viewable through the perforations thereof, and a longitudinallyextending resilient member of undulatory form compressed between andoutwardly urging at longitudinally spaced points confronting adjacentchannel side portions to press the overlapping side portions together,said resilient members being slidably removable in a direction normal tothe channel bottom portions and without longitudinal movement relativeto said channels to permit ready disassembly of said panel.

2. A decorative panel as defined in claim 1 in which the free edges ofthe side portions are spaced apart less than the width of the bottomportions of the respective channel members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS315,447 Steinway Apr. 7, 1885 603,597 Kittelsen et al. May 3, 18982,243,322 Van Uum May 27, 1941 2,430,654 Voege Nov. 11, 1947 2,742,116Fitzgerald Apr. 17, 1956

